Sheffield man ordered to repay £91,000 after £300,000 online marketplace refund error
A Sheffield man who received more than £300,000 after an online marketplace mistakenly refunded money he was not owed has been ordered to pay back more than £91,000.
In 2021, Simon Jackson listed an item for £10 million on an online marketplace before claiming it had been sold "off-site".
The website calculated a seller's fee of £300,245, but because the sale had taken place off-site, the payment was due to be cancelled.
However, the platform's system instead issued Jackson with a £300,245 refund which he was not owed.
Police said Jackson was fully aware the payment had been made in error.
Within 48 hours of receiving the money, he transferred it into his own bank accounts before moving it into other accounts and closing the initial account into which the refund had been paid.
An examination of his accounts showed he then embarked on a two-month spending spree.
His purchases included a high-performance car engine, jewellery and a Louis Vuitton bag worth £3,500, while he also gave substantial amounts of cash to friends.
Jackson, 50, of Foxwood Avenue in Sheffield, was found guilty by a jury in 2024 of retaining a wrongful credit.
He was jailed for 12 months.
Following the conclusion of the criminal proceedings, financial investigators from South Yorkshire Police's Economic Crime Unit continued investigating Jackson's finances.
The unit's Asset Recovery Team sought to establish how much Jackson had benefited from his illegal activity and what assets and money he had available to repay.
This can include physical assets such as luxury clothing or property as well as money held in bank accounts.
On Friday (Sep 11), Jackson was handed a confiscation order at Sheffield Crown Court.
The court found that he had received a financial benefit of £350,000 and ordered him to pay back £91,438 within three months.
Police said failure to pay within that period carries a default custodial sentence of three years.
Head of Asset Recovery Laura Hough said: "It is important that criminals who are convicted are not allowed to continue to benefit from their lives of crime.
"Work remains ongoing to recover the outstanding criminal benefit with Jackson remaining responsible for this amount. We are working with colleagues at the Regional Confiscation Unit as they regularly review this case.
"Without your help, we wouldn't be able to paint such a detailed intelligence picture on individuals who have potentially benefitted from a life of criminality.
“Have you noticed someone who has suddenly started wearing designer clothing or have bought a second car despite not appearing to have a job? They may be gaining this money illegally.
“If you see something that is not quite right, I urge you to report it to us, or through Crimestoppers if you don’t want to talk to us directly and stay anonymous.”